Media business

The Apprentice to appear in Beijing

Posted by Bill Zhang, February 19, 2007 3:15 PM
the Apprentice.jpg
The Beijing News reported recently that Beijing TV has aquired the adaptation rights to the American reality TV show The Apprentice, making it the first reality program offically imported from Uncle Sam. The local version will be launched this summer on BTV-5 (Beijing TV's station for economy and finance programs).

The Apprentice is a reality television show that originated in the United States on NBC in 2004. Billed as "The Ultimate Job Interview", the show depicts a group of 15-18 businessmen and entrepreneurs competing in an elimination-style competition for a one year, $100,000.00 job of running one of host and executive producer Donald Trump's companies."

It has been said that The Apprentice caters more to the tastes of the Chinese audience than other reality shows. Focusing on office politics and full of mutual scheming, it is more situationalized (情景化) and soap operaized (肥皂剧化) compared to Big Brother, Survivor and American Idol. Nobody wants to be fired and everyone is eager to be on the top. Perhaps this matches perfectly the mentality of white collars and golden collars in comtemporary China.

As for the the program host, the production team will probably announce its selection at the end of this month. The real estate tycoon and media celebrity Pan Shiyi (潘石屹) is under the spotlight. Whether Pan's agenda fits in with this long term program's schedule is still unknown.

Right now, there are two programs similar to Apprentice. One is Winner (创智赢家) from Dragon TV and the other is called Win in China (赢在中国) on CCTV-2.

Links and Sources

twitterchiclet.pngtweet facebook.pngfacebook Deliciousbookmark hhrHaoHao diggdigg

<< Sweet secrets: a Reader's Digest of Sex | Picking apart the 2007 Gala >>
There are currently 1 Comments for The Apprentice to appear in Beijing.

Comments on The Apprentice to appear in Beijing

I was hoping the would import Temptation Island.

Posted by: Yan Xishan | February 22, 2007 3:03 AM

Post a comment

All comments are moderated and subject to review by Danwei contributors and editors, but well-grounded and articulate comments will be published regardless of which way they lean. Because comments published on any website ultimately contribute to the character of that website, we may decline to publish comments that are irrelevant, redundant, or that do not adhere to generally accepted standards of courtesy; if you are looking for a fight, there are plenty of other venues available online.


Some useful html: <b>bold</b>, <i>italic</i>,
<a href="http://www.danwei.org">link</a>
Partner Links
China Quest - 2010 Summer language camp in Beijing China
China in a Box: Video production services and China stock footage
Popup Chinese: Chinese lessons, HSK tests and a Beijing-based community
ChinaTechNews.com: Technology, Internet and digital news from China
Jobs in China
+ Beijing: Latin teacher wanted
+ Shanghai: Editor for English language magazine
+ Beijing: Office manager / research assistant for accredited journalist office
more...
Recent Comments
Hu Kebi on To the Chinese media, is Obama "aobama" or "oubama"?
Mark on The case of the missing Obama front page
Nemo_sum on "Suicide note" from Shishou makes matters more confusing
JJ on RMB 3 million foreign douche bag in Shanghai
Wang H. on 2012: a disaster movie not suitable for children
affordabe on Blogspot unblocked, but Blogger is blocked
Adam J. Sc on Snow in Beijing
Peter Kauf on Bound feet in China
Media Partners
Visit these sites for the latest China news
090609guardian2.png 090609CNN3.png
China Media Timeline
Major media events over the last three decades
+ 1978-1988
+ 1988-1998
+ 1998-2008
Danwei Model Workers
laomo2008fpA.jpg
Recommended blogs and new media
+ English-language blogs about China
+ Chinese blogs, aggregators, and forums
Books on China
AXL091030storiesforthcoming.jpg
Xujun Eberlein's Apologies Forthcoming: Hong Kong's Blacksmith Books has published a short story collection by Xujun Eberlein.
Princess Der Ling: Two Years in the Forbidden City: Two years in the Forbidden City is largely a reminiscence of the minutiae of life for one of history's most powerful women, by one of her court attendants, a Manchu noble's daughter by the name of Der Ling.
Carl Crow's The Long Road Back to China: In 1939 Carl Crow - an American journalist, advertising executive and author who had lived in Shanghai for 25 years until forced out by the Japanese - travelled up the Burma Road from Rangoon to Chongqing on assignment for Liberty magazine － 'the most interesting assignment I have ever been given'.
more...
Front Page of the Day
A different newspaper every weekday
From the Vault
Classic Danwei posts
+ The 'national' in National Day (2006.10): Xiao Feng writes about China's national flavor, national curse, national bird, national car, and so forth, Dongfang Yu writes on the true meaning of China's National Day in the age of angry youth.
+ Don't ask so laowai don't have to tell (2008.07): An essay was written by Geremie Barmé, scholar, filmmaker and author of the new book The Forbidden City.
+ Religion and government in an uneasy mix (2008.03): Phoenix Weekly (凤凰周刊) article from October, 2007, on government influence on religious practice in Tibet.
more...
Popular Tags
Danwei Archives
Danwei Feeds
Via Feedsky rsschiclet2.png (on the mainland)
or Feedburner rsschiclet.gif (blocked in China)
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Main feed: Main posts (FB has top links)
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Top Links: Links from the top bar
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Danwei Jobs: Want ads
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Danwei Digest: Updated daily, 19:30
twitterchiclet.png Danwei's Twitter feed